Passage to Dawn | Los Angeles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media & Press Contact:
SoCiArts Productions
(310) 294 8544
Society of Cinema and Arts Presents
PASSAGE TO DAWN
World Premiere Concert of Persian and Azari Music
Virtuosi Hamid Motebassem, Pejman Hadadi and Imamyar Hasanov
North American Tour January 8 - 24, 2010
LOS ANGELES, CA December 15, 2009 – Society of Cinema and Arts announces the Los Angeles premier of Passage to Dawn a night of live classical Persian and Azari music with Hamid Motebassem, Pejman Hadadi and Imamyar Hasanov, at The Colbert School’s Herbert Zipper Concert Hall at 200 S. Grand Ave. LA, CA 90012, on January 24, 2010 at 7:30 PM.
The presenter and the artists will donate portions of proceeds to benefit Children’s Hope International Literacy & Development (C.H.I.L.D), to better the education, health-care and opportunities for growth and development for children across the globe. The goal of this concert is to bring the communities of Iranians and Azaries together to celebrate their vibrant music and use the arts to facilitate social change. This concert is co-sponsored by Namah Ensemble.
Passage To Dawn marks the first collaboration between master musicians, Hamid Motebassem (Setar) and Pejman Hadadi (Percussion) of the celebrated Dastan Ensemble, the leading contemporary classical music ensemble of Iran, and Imamyar Hasanov (Kemancheh), a dynamic virtuoso from Azerbaijan. With this new collaboration, the artists explore the surprising commonalities as well as variations between the two age-old musical traditions of Iran and Azerbaijan, marrying the two distinct styles into one sound, which echoes tradition, yet is contemporary and innovative. The repertoire of this evening’s purely instrumental music ranges from fixed composition to structured as well as pure improvisation invoking a wide array of feeling, from quietly meditative to ecstatic.
With Passage to Dawn, the artists seek to re-establish the power and beauty of instrumental music. “Our aim”, says Pejman Hadadi “is to create a dialogue that opens a window between our hearts and the hearts of the listeners so we come in touch with the One Heart.” In the words of the great Persian mystic poet Rumi:
There is a window between heart and heart
They are never separate like two bodies.
Passage to Dawn refers to the current times of chaos, upheaval and darkness in our world that will eventually deliver us into the light if we focus our collective intention and utilize this negativity to work diligently towards spiritual evolution for all beings. The emphasis is on the power of music to uplift and inspire hope, inviting people to live to their ideals and take action based on conscious universal values. Through the power of beauty and the sublime, the musicians intend to raise the vibration of stagnancy, anxiety and fear that runs through the world to that of positive action, trust and love. Their music will serve as a reminder that humanity is capable of great feats of beauty through dedication, focus and living from our hearts. And this capability when put into action will deliver us from the chaos and darkness into the light.
About
Based in Holland, Hamid Motebassem is the founder of the Society of Tar and Setar, and a founding member of Dastan Ensemble, “one of the “most-forward looking Persian music ensembles.”(LA Weekly). He studied in the Tehran School of Art and The Conservatory of Persian Music. Both a virtuosic Setar and Tar player and a celebrated composer, Hamid’s acclaimed compositions are featured on countless albums of classical and contemporary Persian music including some of the award-winning albums of Dastan Esemble. www.sociarts.com/Hmotebassem & www.motebassem.com.
Pejman Hadadi is world-renowned as one of the most innovative Iranian percussionists. A two-time recipient of the prestigious Durfee Foundation Master Musician Award, he is a founding member of the highly acclaimed percussion ensemble ZARBANG and Dastan Ensemble. Based in Los Angeles, Pejman has performed with the most celebrated Persian musicians including Shahram Nazeri and Hossein Alizadeh. “Hadadi delivered a mighty Tombak solo that had the whole house out of their seats and yelling.” (LA Weekly) www.sociarts.com/pejman-hadadi & www.pejmanhadadi.com.
The award-winning Kemanche player, Imamyar Hasanov based in the Washington DC area, started as the youngest soloist in Azerbaijan's National Music Orchestra. He has a Master's Degree in Music from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. A dynamic virtuoso who performs Azerbaijani and Middle Eastern traditional improvisations as well as Western classical music, he has performed with Chingiz Sadykhov, Ross Daly, Svetlana Aliyeva Rahman Asadollahi and Hosein Omoumi, Hakan Tokerramong others. www.sociarts.com/imamyar & www.kamancha.com.
Society of Cinema and Arts | SoCiArts
Founded in 2007, SoCiArts is a grassroots community and an independent production company dedicated to social change through the arts. SoCiArts Productions focuses on producing socially conscious art events to bring conscious artists and art enthusiasts together for a common cause to better the society. Membership with SoCiArts is free and open to all artists across the globe. For more information please visit www.sociarts.com.
Children’s Hope International Literacy & Development | C.H.I.L.D
Children's Hope International Literacy & Development (C.H.I.L.D.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2004 and is based in Laguna Hills, California. C.H.I.L.D. is a non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit humanitarian organization, founded by dedicated volunteers with the aim of providing hope, healing, and opportunity to children around the world. Our love for children inspires our commitment to make better education, healthcare, nutrition, and opportunities for growth and development a part of every child's life. Our hope is to secure a self-sufficient and productive future for every child. C.H.I.L.D. strives to motivate volunteer and donor participation in helping to meet the physical and emotional needs of disadvantaged children. More information at www.child-international.org.
Namah
Namah, in the pre-sanskrit language of Avesta means reverence and greeting. Since 1994 the non-profit company has created an exciting body of work, igniting rigorous dance technique with powerful ancient mysticism. Led by dancer/choreographer Banafsheh Sayyad, Namah has toured annually throughout North America and Europe from 2003-2007, and recently performed in Australia and New Zealand. Described as “the perfect way to open ritual aspects of Persian dance to a wider audience while preserving the sense of participating in something sacred” (LA Weekly), the company has become internationally known for its innovative movement vocabulary and high artistic and educational standards. Banafsheh Sayyad and Irene Masharo established NAMAH with the aim to express the ancient within the contemporary and the sacred within dance —finding a language that would communicate the Persian mystical tradition universally to all regardless of cultural background. In 1998, Pejman Hadadi, the virtuoso Persian percussionist and two-time recipient of the Durfee Foundation Master Musician have created a number of dance and percussion duets as well as ensemble pieces featuring other accomplished performers including Pejman's highly acclaimed ensemble, ZARBANG. www.namah.net.
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